The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) announced today the recipients of the 2018 Shannon Bybee Scholarship Award, an annual program that awards prizes for the best scholarly research papers written on relevant gaming topics by accredited law school students as part of their class work during the school year. Annual submissions are solicited from law students in North American law schools and judged by a committee of IAGA member attorneys practicing gaming law. The 2018 scholarship recipients are:

“The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and its Legal Implications: How Its Invalidation Will Impact Indian Gaming’s Legal and Regulatory Framework” by Francisco Olea, University of Arizona College of Law

“It’s Time for Wizards to Give Up the Illusion and Show Their Cards: How Wizards of the Coast Circumvent Gaming Law to Make Millions” by David M. Stern, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law

Both winning papers can be viewed at www.theiaga.org/shannon-bybee-scholarship-award/.

“The Bybee Scholarship is an excellent way to encourage the next generation of gaming industry legal experts to become engaged in critical gaming issues,” commented Jennifer Roberts, Bybee Scholarship Committee Co-Chair and Associate Director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Center for Gaming Regulation. “With so many interesting topics to cover, this year we received a diverse selection of submissions covering everything from exploring problem gambling issues in Victoria, Australia to online gaming regulations in Canada and the US, and the impact of the sports betting invalidation of PASPA for tribes.We are pleased that we continue to receive such excellent submissions and look forward to presenting this year’s winners with their awards at IAGA’s G2E cocktail reception in Las Vegas.”

The Shannon Bybee Scholarship Award was established to honor the memory of Shannon Bybee, one of IAGA’s founders who had a distinguished career as a gaming attorney, Nevada regulator, industry executive and pioneer in the field of education in casino operations and gaming law. Inducted into the American Gaming Association’s Hall of Fame in 2002 because of his significant contributions to responsible gaming, Bybee also played an important role in the development of problem gambling regulations and advocacy.

This year’s Bybee Scholarship Award was generously sponsored by Everi. Additional information about Everi can be found online at www.everi.com.

2019 Deadline for Submissions Announced

IAGA also announced that the 2019 deadline for submissions will be June 30, and the winning papers will be announced during the 2019 IAGA Cocktail Reception held during the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) exhibition in Las Vegas. Additional information about entry requirements and the IAGA Shannon Bybee Scholarship Committee is available at www.theiaga.org/shannon-bybee-scholarship-award/.